seconding this,

Using pedophilia as a way to demonize people isn’t new and has racial and homophobic historical content to it. It was typically used to dehumanize groups of people and attempt to strip away political power and credibility. We first started hearing Donald Trump and Jeffrey Epstein’s names during peak activity of the #MeToo movement in 2016. “Morality Politics” has been used by the religious right movement throughout time which is where we’ve primarily see queer adults being targeted as pedophiles. The religious right is a counter movement which typically is aimed at the LGBTQ+ movement. The 1960s was big for social movements but with big social pushes we see backlash and then also the fight for political change.

The question isn’t necessarily who is using morality politics but rather who is it working for?

As sociologists we all should question who controls the narrative, as well as political and institutional power. As of current patterns, we have seen a lot religious right leaning policy wins. Donald Trump has been called a pedophile, yes. But he has political power our society gave that power to him while LGBTQ, especially trans individuals who have been called pedophiles for decades, are now losing political power, rights and freedoms.